DE–PL rates rise as Italy faces rail strike
European freight forwarders are starting the day with noticeably higher quotes on German–Polish lanes and the risk of rail disruptions in Italy. At the same time, the EU Solidarity Lanes remain the main channel for handling Ukrainian trade, while carriers are updating fuel surcharges in Scandinavia and the Baltic states.
Prepared by the CargoNice editorial team with AI support, based on the sources listed and CargoNice's own market data. Machine translation of the Polish original. Editorial policy · Read the Polish original
- 1,90 EUR/kmGermany–Poland rate
- 2,26 EUR/kmPoland–Germany rate
- 7,09 PLN/lOrlen diesel price
- 2 148,53 EUR/1000LAverage EU diesel price
Market today in figures (CargoNice data)
The model rate on the Germany–Poland lane is 1.90 EUR/km, according to the reading from 12 October 2026, while the Poland–Germany route stands at 2.26 EUR/km on the same date. Orlen’s diesel price is 7.09 PLN/l as of 13 October 2026. The average diesel price in the EU is 2 148.53 EUR/1000L, according to data from 5 October 2026, while Germany’s index of kilometres travelled subject to road tolls reached 90.70 points (2021=100) on 3 October 2026.
Compared with the previous reading, the Germany–Poland rate increased by 0.26 EUR/km. At the same time, Orlen’s diesel price fell by 0.03 PLN/l, easing fuel costs but not offsetting the increase in the freight quote on the main cross-border lane.
Solidarity Lanes handle Ukrainian trade
On 12 October, the European Commission published updated data for the Solidarity Lanes. In August 2026, these connections handled almost 100% of Ukraine’s imports, around 95% of non-agricultural exports and approximately 90% of exports of grain, oilseeds and related products.
The data confirm that road, rail and inland waterway connections between Ukraine and the EU are now a permanent part of the European logistics network, rather than merely an emergency solution. The Commission identifies the programme’s further priorities as traffic management, streamlining border clearance and inspections, and investment in logistics and infrastructure.
For operators serving Ukraine, Moldova and neighbouring markets, it remains essential to factor border procedures into transit plans and quotations. The scale of these flows means that the capacity of these connections also affects the availability of vehicles, rail wagons and transshipment capacity in EU countries bordering Ukraine. Source: European Commission
Italian rail strike increases intermodal risk
Italy’s Strike Observatory at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport reported nationwide industrial action by freight staff at SBB Cargo Italia. The strike begins at 06:00 on 13 October 2026 and will continue until 05:59 on 14 October 2026.
The event concerns domestic freight transport, so the risk primarily affects the operation of train departures, the handover of units at terminals and the timeliness of deliveries using rail–road combinations. The notice itself does not determine the scale of delays on specific connections, but it requires the operational status to be confirmed on an ongoing basis with the carrier and terminal.
For loads with short delivery deadlines, it is worth checking whether a switch to road transport is possible or postponing collection and delivery until after the protest. This applies particularly to shipments crossing Italy’s borders, where rail forms part of the supply chain rather than serving only a domestic leg. Source: Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport
Denmark and Estonia adjust fuel surcharges
Blue Water Shipping updated its variable fuel surcharges for road transport to and from Denmark effective 12 October. For the Denmark–rest of Europe lane, the applicable level is 88.10%, compared with 88.60% the previous week. For the Denmark–Finland lane, the rate is 89.70%, while Denmark–United Kingdom and Ireland is set at 89.60%.
In Estonia, DHL Freight reduced its international fuel surcharge to 26.0% from 12 October, down from 27.5% the previous week. The domestic rate fell to 29.5%, compared with 31.0%. DHL states that the weekly updates reflect the impact of the security situation in the Middle East on European road and logistics supply chains.
These are not universal market indices, but conditions specified by individual operators. For freight forwarders, however, they are a direct signal to review carriers’ fuel tables, particularly for groupage and Nordic, Estonian, British and Irish routes. Source: Blue Water Shipping Source: DHL Freight Estonia
In brief
- In the United Kingdom, a voluntary liquidator was appointed for Whelan Haulage Ltd on 12 October; the company had already been in creditors’ voluntary liquidation since 30 September. Before placing a transport order or settling outstanding matters, its operational status, insurance and payment terms should be confirmed. Source: Administrator UK
- Constellation Cold Logistics acquired Norway’s Impruv Logistics AS. The transaction adds 25 000 temperature-controlled pallet spaces and increases the group’s Norwegian capacity to 90 000 pallet spaces; this is significant for food logistics in Norway and the Nordic region. Source: Constellation Cold Logistics
- VITAIRA is expanding its European pharmaceutical logistics network by acquiring Germany’s PharmaSped, strengthening temperature-controlled services towards south-western Europe and Italy. In pharmaceutical tenders, it is worth reassessing the list of approved carriers and the availability of specialised fleets. Source: Cold Chain Platform
Community voice: DE-PL rates rise, Italy is genuinely at a standstill, ZMPD awaits subsidies
What the industry says · last 24 h- strony/grupy FB TSL · 7
- komentarze pod postem ZMPD · 10
- LinkedIn (zapytania search/posts) · 6
- Wykop #spedycja i #tsl · 24
- Reddit (5 subreddittów) · 125
- YouTube Data API · 2
- Hacker News (Algolia) · 0
- artykuły branżowe (WebSearch/WebFetch) · 3
DE-PL rates: the figures are starting to confirm what has been felt for months
Analysts leave no room for doubt — pressure on road freight rates in Europe is not a temporary fluctuation. Matthias Hegele of Accenture summed up the latest market report plainly:
"Our latest Accenture Logistics Radar Q3 26 is out! Ocean & European road: double-digit rate increases continued. Structural pressures aren't going away. Capacity constraints, driver shortages, regulation, and energy costs keep rates elevated across the board." - Matthias Hegele on LinkedIn
In the comments under the post, others in the industry are already discussing how to approach the situation — Pieter Kinds makes the brief observation: "Q4 is definitely good for Asia-Europe negotiations. Important to use a platform though." (LinkedIn)
Eurostat recalled the scale of the market in which these rates are rising:
"In 2025, the total volume of road freight transport in the EU reached 1 886 billion tonne-kilometres. Highest annual total road freight transport in: Poland (381.0 billion tonne-kilometres) Germany (277.4 billion) Spain (272.6 billion)" - Eurostat on LinkedIn
Poland therefore remains the EU leader in volume — and it is Polish carriers that feel the impact of every cost increase most acutely.
Italy on strike: freight rail is genuinely at a standstill today, as is road transport in the south
This is not a later announcement — according to the Italian transport strike calendar, today (13 October), SBB Cargo Italia's freight rail operations are holding a nationwide 24-hour strike (6:00–5:59 the following day), while DB Cargo Italia is stopping regionally in Lombardy for a full day. At the same time, a 120-hour suspension of haulage services by Fedralog Calabria is under way in the south of the country (9–13 October), while the Sicilian Transport Committee is preparing another round from 16 to 20 October. A nationwide general strike announced by the USB and USI-CIT unions for 29–30 October is also on the horizon.
The industry is watching this with concern for the continuity of supply chains — as Orkun Gonen put it:
"Italy's upcoming port and rail strikes are a reminder of how quickly supply chains can be disrupted, making proactive planning and visibility more important than ever for importers and exporters" - Orkun Gonen on LinkedIn
It is worth remembering that the previously widely discussed announcement of a nationwide truck strike organised by the UNATRAS union concerned 25–29 May 2026 and was a reaction to rising diesel prices — context from several months ago, not an event taking place this week.
Fuel subsidies: ZMPD presses the government, drivers mince no words
On Facebook, ZMPD published an appeal from its president, Jan Buczek, calling for urgent direct subsidies for carriers, citing measures in Spain (€402 million), Luxembourg and France (€500 per tractor unit). A few days earlier, at the FutureLog conference, the same Buczek spoke openly about the problem of payment bottlenecks:
"Carriers cannot wait indefinitely for the money they have earned" - Jan Buczek, president of ZMPD, Facebook ZMPD
Under the post about fuel subsidies, the comments are considerably less diplomatic than the official letter to the prime minister:
"ZMPD, all you've been able to do for years is write letters..... the so-called carriers from the entire Euro-communist bloc still haven't grown up enough to look after the interests of drivers and their companies..... the important thing is that the contributions keep coming into the account.... that's all you can do" - Piotr Dymek, Facebook
"Mr Buczek, maybe it's time to get to work, or this transport industry will soon be in ruins" - Kuba Sawicki, Facebook
"I get the impression that those in power don't care, and appeals are met with absolutely no response to carriers' problems" - Bożena Przychodzień, Facebook
The problem is not exclusively Polish. On LinkedIn, Przemysław Grzywa compared how different EU countries are dealing with the same increase in fuel costs:
"In Germany, BGL estimates that the latest increase could add around €1,800 per month to the operating cost of a heavy truck using around 3,000 litres of diesel. In Spain, CETM estimates an additional €720 per month for a vehicle with similar fuel consumption. In Poland, hauliers are calling for a 'professional diesel' scheme that would allow transport companies to recover part of the charges included in the pump price." - Przemysław Grzywa on LinkedIn
Ukrainian border: unequal queues on both sides
In the same comment thread under the ZMPD post, someone raised an issue that rarely appears in official communications — the disparity in clearance procedures at the Polish-Ukrainian border:
"Ukrainian AEO. I have been asking and writing about the problem for two months now. Ukrainian vehicles with AEO wait 15 minutes to enter Poland. Polish vehicles stand in the queue for 5 days ..." - Wasil Damian, Facebook
This is a single voice, but it shows how much the issue of Ukrainian transit irritates Polish carriers at the level of everyday logistics, not just politics.
Low rates through Wykop's eyes: bitter laughter instead of complaints
Not everything in the industry plays out at the level of appeals to the government. On Wykop, under the #spedycja tag, a viral post about an absurdly low rate attracted more reactions than many a serious news item:
"How much? PLN 200 for the delivery? I'll deliver it myself, hold my beer XD" - DJRuraWydechowa, Wykop
Commenters immediately added a realistic legal context to such a "solution":
"@DJRuraWydechowa And there you go, a ticket for improperly securing the load, PLN 500 plus improper marking..." - Ademu, Wykop
It is a small example, but it captures the mood well: rates can be so low that the industry responds with dark humour instead of another letter to the ministry.
Sentiment of the day
The mood in the industry is tense, but not panicked. Freight forwarders and carriers are looking at rising DE-PL rates with relief on the revenue side, but with concern about fuel costs and payments that continue to get stuck ("100 days of waiting" is not a figure of speech, but a number cited by the president of ZMPD). The Italian strikes — the real ones taking place today on the railways and in the south of the country — are being treated as another supply-chain risk factor, rather than an exceptional surprise. The strongest emotions, however, are being stirred not by events abroad but by the domestic scene: comments under ZMPD's appeal show frustration and a lack of trust in their own industry organisations, while the Ukrainian border continues to provoke anger because of specific, unexplained disparities in clearance procedures.
Sources unavailable today: the driver forums trucker-forum.at, forotransportistas.es, foros24h.com, forum.soferdetir.ro and planet-truck.fr — only indirect press references could be found in the search engine, without access to the threads and user posts themselves. Reddit (r/logistics, r/FreightBrokers, r/Truckers, r/supplychain, r/europe) and Hacker News were searched, but did not return any threads specific to European road freight in recent days.
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